#vadisability

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Hey everyone, If you’re a veteran who’s been exposed to asbestos, you need to understand your options. VA Disability covers illnesses linked to your service. VA Pension helps if you have limited income. And asbestos trusts are set up to get you compensation from the companies that caused your exposure.

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VA claims and appeals can be an anxiety filled experience. Not to mention VA claims/appeals can take upwards of several years before a veteran receives a decision. I get the fact, somewhat, that the Department of Veterans Affairs has millions of veterans applying for disability compensation yearly. So I do understand that a VA claim should take a while to be completed.

I have a VA claim now turned into a VA appeal that is currently at the Board of Veterans Appeals for a second time. My original VA appeal was remanded. It has been almost three years I have been waiting for a favorable answer. This three years of waiting for the VA to make a decision is also with a congressional inquiry attached to it. So the Department of Veterans Affairs does take their time in processing these outstanding claims and appeals.

I would be cool with the wait that comes along with a VA claim, if the Department of Veterans Affairs did a thorough job in reviewing my claim. When I got the first statement of the case in reference to my VA claim I was disappointed and shocked. It was almost like the VA didn’t even look over their own medical records where they had been treating me for the issues that my claim was for. As I read through the statement of the case I realized that the decision review officer (DRO) reviewing my claim probably just flipped a coin to decide if I received service connected disability from the VA.

I actually probably would’ve been better off if the DRO had just flipped a coin. There are many veterans out there going through the same difficulty as I am with the VA claims process. There are also many veterans out there that are having an even more difficult time than me. Some of these veterans are under serious economic hardship. A prompt a fair decision from the VA would make all of the difference in the world to them.

I know I am not alone making this statement. The Department of Veterans Affairs gives me anxiety. I am an Army veteran and have been going back in forth with the VA for years now. Like so many other veterans I have been bounced around in the purgatory of the VA disability Claims and Appeals processes.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is trying to make improvements on these issue, but they still have a long way to go. A person enters the military with a promise, made by the government, that if you serve your country we will take care of you when you get out of the military. The Department of Veterans Affairs is failing in living up to these promises made to veterans. I have experienced first-hand the extensive wait times to receive medical treatment from the VA. I laid around for almost three months with a completely torn rotator cuff muscle before the VA got me in to see an orthopedic doctor.

This way of treating veterans with lack of prompt medical treatment has spilled over into the VA Claims and Appeals process. I have doubts that the Decision Review Officer (DRO) reviewing my VA disability claim actually does a comprehensive job. For example I filed a claim for chronic sinusitis. The VA has been treating me for that condition since I have been out of the Army in 2004. I am a member of the Burn Pit Registry and the Gulf War Registry. This states that I was exposed to hazardous burning material while on my deployments.

The Department of Veterans Affairs denied my disability claim for chronic sinusitis. Did they even look at my medical records? The answer more than likely is no the VA didn’t review my records properly. Had they done so they would have arrived at a more favorable claim decision? I am not asking for a lot. I am only asking the VA to do what is right and fair.

I am definitely not the only veteran out there with a story to tell. I have plenty of more stories I could share with you about the Department of Veterans Affairs. I really feel bad for the older crowd of veterans. These veterans need more medical attention and are not receiving it in a timely manner. They are made to jump through the bureaucratic hoops the VA has just to get medical treatment. The VA drags out there disability and appeal process for sometimes years. I have an appeal with the Board of Veterans Appeals that has been in the claims/appeals process for almost three years now.

Like I said the VA has put procedures in place to streamline the claims and appeals processes. They are trying, but they really need to step up their game. There are veterans out there that are homeless because the VA is jerking them around with their disability claim. There are veterans out there not receiving medical treatment. There are veterans out there that are dying because the Department of Veterans Affairs can’t do their job.